Saugus Students Lend A Helping Hand

We’ve all had a cool substitute teacher, but none like Mr. G––the singing sub! Yeah, he’s hip and cool and he’s helped students get through the school day, but now he needs a helping hand. Mr. Steven Gail, the beloved sub, has been diagnosed with T-cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia, a deadly diagnosis.

Some Saugus high school students got word of this and decided to reach out to Mr. G. Current students as well as Saugus alumni have rallied together to raise money for Mr. G’s costly treatments. Madeline Altieri is one of those students who has spearheaded the fund raising. Altieri stated, “My friend and I went and got clear piggy banks and wrote ‘Mr. G Fund’ on them and put them in the English classes. They were in the classes for about seven school days and within those seven school days we made about $1,720.” To date, they have raised just under $4,000, and the goal after the next two fundraisers is roughly $8,000.

“Mr. G never imagined it would be like this. I approached him and asked him if I could hold a couple small fundraisers and he told me, ‘how can I say no, you’re trying to help someone,'” Altieri said. The motive behind these actions was Saugus high school’s appreciation and loyalty to one of the most respected subs in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Principal Bill Bolde takes great pride in his Saugus Centurions as they devote time and effort to one of their favorite subs. “Well, I’ve always been proud of the Saugus students […] I just see them stepping forward all the time, whether it’s helping Mr. G now or Johnny Borondy last year with his cancer. There are so many different instances where the kids have really stepped up. The greater good of the community is the greatest lesson of them all,” Bolde said.

As Saugus high school’s saying goes, “We develop people who build better tomorrows,” and that is exactly what they’re doing. The next fundraiser for Mr. G is Wednesday, December, 1st, 2010 at 5:00 pm at the Habit Valencia. There will be another fundraiser Thursday, December 9th, 2010 at 5:00 pm at Chick-fil-a.